Te Ara ki te Ora Road to Zero

This report is the first of 10 annual monitoring reports on Road to Zero. It reports on progress made in the first year of implementing the strategy, and actions that have been taken in 2020.

A key commitment under Road to Zero is regular monitoring and reporting against indicators set out in the strategy’s outcomes framework. This can help drive action and hold relevant agencies accountable for the delivery of the strategy.

New Zealand has committed to decisive action on road safety under Road to Zero: New Zealand’s road safety strategy for 2020–2030. Road to Zero adopts a vision of a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes, and a target for reducing annual deaths and serious injuries by 40 percent by 2030.

Road to Zero is supported by an Action Plan for 2020–2022, which sets out 15 initial actions under the five focus areas of the strategy.

In November 2019, the Government agreed to publish the Road to Zero strategy for 2020–2030 and the initial 3-year action plan. We published the strategy and plan in December 2019.

The strategy outlines a plan to stop people being killed or injured on our roads. It includes our vision, 7 principles, 5 focus areas and targets — including the target of a 40% reduction in death and serious injuries (from 2018 levels) by 2030.

The action plan accompanies the strategy and contains 15 initial actions within the strategy’s 5 focus areas. The initial action plan lasts for 3 years starting on 1 January 2020, although delivery of some actions will continue after 2022. Some actions are currently in progress or in place.

1. Invest in safety treatments and infrastructure improvements
2. Introduce a new approach to tackling unsafe speeds
3. Review infrastructure standards and guidelines
4. Enhance safety and accessibility of footpaths, bike lanes and cycleways
5. Raise safety standards for vehicles entering the fleet
6. Increase understanding of vehicle safety
7. Implement mandatory anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for motorcycles
8. Support best practice for work-related travel
9. Strengthen the regulation of commercial transport services
10. Prioritise road policing
11. Enhance drug driver testing
12. Increase access to driver licensing and training
13. Support motorcycle safety
14. Review road safety penalties
15. Strengthen system leadership, support and coordination.

The Government agreed to consult on the new road safety strategy and proposed actions. Over 1,000 submissions were received through the public consultation process, with the majority of submitters broadly supportive of the strategy and action plan.

Almost 85% of submitters supported the proposed vision, with most organisational submitters indicating strong support. There was broad support for including a target in the strategy, with 42% of submitters supporting the proposed target of a 40% reduction in death and serious injuries and 34% wanting something more ambitious.

Over several months we met with a wide range of people with an interest in road safety, including regional and local road safety groups, industry and advocacy groups, and iwi. We heard a broad range of perspectives and concerns about road safety. Stakeholders clearly wanted substantial change but held different views about how and when change should happen.

In March and April 2019 we held 14 roadshows across the country for local government representatives and regional stakeholders. Overall, we received support for a more ambitious approach, as well as positive feedback on the direction and content of the document we planned to consult the public on later in 2019.

Stakeholders often focused on driver behaviour as a key factor in road safety. Many also noted the importance of speed and were keen to see streamlined processes for setting speed limits. Some stakeholders stressed that the strategy needed to take into account rural needs, and access to jobs and services.

We worked with 5 reference groups made up of over 100 representatives from across the transport sector. They provided a range of knowledge, experiences and perspectives that contributed to the development of the strategy discussion document.

The purpose of the reference groups was to:

• contribute to investigations of the current road safety problems
• identify potential opportunities to address these problems and support a safe road system.
• review the research, evidence and best practice approaches being used in New Zealand and overseas

The groups met 4 times and considered speed, vehicles, vehicles as a workplace, road user behaviour, and road infrastructure.

The Associate Minister of Transport held a 1-day Local Government Road Safety Summit in Wellington for more than 100 senior local government representatives from across New Zealand.

The summit provided the opportunity for local government to suggest and discuss actions that would have the greatest effect on road safety in their regions.